5

Dmitri needed his weapons. They were his livelihood. He carried a crossbow. It was small, but packed enough punch to take down a wolf or deer with a well aimed shot. Crossbows weren't common, however, and bolts were hard to come by, so whenever he used one, he'd do his utmost to retrieve it. Also, carrying bolts could be cumbersome, so he'd never carry more than twenty. He only had five left at the moment.
He mostly set traps to catch his prey. For this, he carried a machete, for chopping, and a smaller, sharper knife, for more delicate cutting. Every few months, his machete would break. Sometimes the blade would chip, and become blunt. Other times it would bend. Just occasionally, the blade would separate from the hilt. He had even lost a few to greedy innkeepers. Blacksmiths usually sold them cheaply, in any case, as they were so widely used.
His other knife was far more reliable. It had a short blade, just longer than the width of his hand, which he kept razor sharp. the handle was fashioned from the horn of a reindeer, carved to the shape of his hand, and with a slight lip where the blade entered it. It was not really a weapon, but had gotten him out of a few jams in the past. He'd never part with it, and if he was asked to stow his weapons, he'd tell innkeepers or guards that he shaved with it.
Vlad hadn't ever asked him to stow his weapons, although Dmitri had noticed him asking some others. Dmitri suspected that he had some experience with weapons, as he handled them like a professional. He'd shown some interest in Dmitri's crossbow, but it had passed. Now, however, lying in this warm bath, Dmitri wondered where the innkeeper had gotten his experience.
Perhaps he had been a soldier. Some men had been pressed into service because of the threat from the south. Insane King Igor had believed that an invasion was imminent. When he died, his son King Marek had taken the throne and sent home most of his father's conscripts. What Vlad had, however, was more than mere drill training.
As a mercenary, Vlad would have had to use a weapon. There was work for mercenaries, noblemen often had quarrels, and maintaining an army during peacetime was expensive. That might have been it, but it was unusual for a mercenary to have a family.
Bandits and cut-throats also had weapons experience, but Dmitri didn't think Vlad was that type of man. It was all speculation, however, so Dmitri decided to forget about it. He dunked his head under the water and rubbed the ground in dirt off of his face.
His head was still under the water when the door was opened quietly. He didn't notice as someone slipped into the room, and was totally unaware of their passage toward the tub. His instincts didn't tell him that he was in danger. Eyes closed, he brought his head out of the water and breathed.